whitedogone
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I'm hard on wedges and getting tired of buying them. Anyone ever cut their own? I have a large bandsaw to make short work of it and lots of hedge on the farm. WDO
homemade wedges
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Haywire Haywood
Fiscal Conservative Social Retard
That would have been a disaster for me on several occasions when I saw the green plastic mixed in with the wood chips.
whitedogone
Addicted to ArboristSite
Ever tagged a steel wedge with a fresh chain?
Over the years this topic has come up several times. Some threads have shown handmade hardwood wedges that many would consider art. I "think" you need to look at 'hard-to-split' as well as just 'hard' when selecting wood species for wedges. Elm or sycamore comes to mind, but I'm no expert. Many times folks just make them out of whatever's handy, and consider them expendable.
I've got more chain than I can use so if by some slim chance I hit the metal wedge I can just sharpen later at the shop.
Killing 1/4 of a chains life is still cheaper than eating a $10 wedge. Plus your out the wedge you needed. If you kill the chain you can always swap out to a second chain.
Just my view on it. I've seen guys use large aluminum wedges too. kind of an inbetween plastic and steel option...
Killing 1/4 of a chains life is still cheaper than eating a $10 wedge. Plus your out the wedge you needed. If you kill the chain you can always swap out to a second chain.
Just my view on it. I've seen guys use large aluminum wedges too. kind of an inbetween plastic and steel option...
Nope. Never use a fresh chain during wedge work.
Rookie1
Addicted to ArboristSite
I remember a thread quite a while ago that a guy made them out of wood with his chainsaw. I tried and they didn't come out as good. 
IIRC, Wood Doctor has made some nice wooden wedges...
whitedogone
Addicted to ArboristSite
Most definitely would be considered expendable.
Here is the thread. Too bad the pics are gone. Maybe he will chime in and repost the pics; or you could conversation him....
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/my-latest-felling-and-bucking-wedges.224072/
http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/my-latest-felling-and-bucking-wedges.224072/
whitedogone
Addicted to ArboristSite
So is there a general consensus on best species of wood to use?
I had a couple Osage orange that held up ok
honey locust ?
Termite
Time To Launch
Yes, I cut mine all the time weather I bought them or made them.
lol....yes! but its not in your geographic location.
I'll rip them custom for you; minimal order 500
seriously man rip them out of tight gained sapwood of the tree and I'm sure they will work great. try a few different kinds
as to the ones you feel should work well.A healthy heartwood my be the hardest but not the strongest (think that concept was somewhat mentioned already)
a lot is all about technique and the right wedges.
I only use the K&H 10" &12" for everything; small wood,frozen wood, ect. alternating from 2 ....3 or more wedges.put my back cut in first on small dia and often sideways as they have rounded corners for that reason. 25% UC on wedge trees (when you can) will make it easier. they are nice and thin so they have a lot of 'lifting power'. Obviously the farthest away you can be from the under cut,the more leverage you'll have and sideways on some of the species you are falling my just pop the holdingwood, I have no experience there. but one thing for sure don't wedge on a side if you cut off a corner.
I have no idea how to interpretate that other than its an option for YOU. I cut with my best chain, its a 'butchers knife', its got to be perfect, our stumps are scrutinize for safety, if we can't line up our stump cuts & bucks ....no job!
And, here they are again:
I use a table saw to make them in pairs. Best length is about 9" to 10". Cut several pieces from 5/4 (a full 1" wide) stock first, each about 2-1/2" wide. Cut a 3/4" dowel that's the same length as the width of the board. Masking tape the dowel vertically near one end of the board.
Set the fence about 3/4" away from the blade. Use a ripping blade raised to 2-3/4" high. Now push the board through with a push stick, the dowel at the trailing end, sliding along the fence.
You now have two right triangles with a 1/8" crown that you will want to be isosceles. Use one wedge to raise the sharp end of the other and cross cut the edge of the fat end so that the right triangle becomes isosceles. Do the same with the other wedge. Sharpen the ends with a disk sander and slightly bevel the fat ends. After coating with varnish, I painted the stripe for visibility and drilled a hole about 2" from the sharp end to hang these on a ring.
